1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to forming presses by which foodstuffs are shaped and formed and more specifically to extrusion-type devices for shaping and forming foodstuffs into a desired shape by an extrusion process.
2. State of the Related Art
Various machines have been developed over the years for forming foodstuffs and particularly ground meats in order to provide pre-shaped products for human consumption. Commercial extruding machines can range from large machines capable of producing hundreds of pounds of extruded food product per hour, such as Reiser's VEMAG extruders, to smaller extrusion machines that are particularly suitable for smaller operations, such as within the meat department of a grocery store. While larger commercial extrusion machines are typically used in large commercial operations, there is a need in the industry for smaller extrusion machines that can be used with existing equipment.
For example U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,148,598, 4,293,979 and 5,198,237, the entirety of each of which is incorporated by this reference, disclose foodstuff extruding machines with particular applicability to ground meat products. These devices were configured for use with existing grinding machines that grind foodstuffs, such as meat, and force the ground product through a die. The die has one or more particularly shaped passages through which the ground foodstuff is forced. Upon extrusion, the resulting food product has a certain cross-sectional shape or configuration as determined by the passage(s) of the die. The product shape can be further defined by incorporating a cutoff machine into the process by which the extruded food product is automatically cut into discrete lengths to form the desired food product. Despite the widespread use of products embodied in the aforementioned patents, there exists a need in the art to provide an improved extrusion housing and die arrangement that can be used with existing or new dies, that is easier for the user to operate and clean and that is less expensive to manufacture than those disclosed in the prior art. The present invention is a significant improvement to systems and devices for producing extruded food products known in the art.